Labour MEP among signatories opposing centralised management of EU funds

Labour MEP Daniel Attard is among a group of europarliamentarians asking EC president Ursula von der Leyen to preserve the current decentralised approach to the EU’s Cohesion Policy.

In a letter, the MEPs said that the policy has been instrumental in reducing regional disparities, empowering citizens, and strengthening European identity.

However, the MEPs are concerned over recent reports suggesting that the European Commission is considering centralising the management of the policy, which they argue would undermine its regional focus and shared-management model.

The letter stresses that the shared-management approach, which involves both member states and regions, decentralises investment decisions and increases local ownership of EU policies. This, in turn, counters populism and Euroscepticism by ensuring that decisions are made close to the citizens.

The MEPs also warn that centralising the policy could politicise funding decisions, particularly in countries like Poland and Hungary, where governments could potentially misuse funds or withhold them from regions for political reasons.

The MEPs reject the idea of centralisation, arguing that it risks further disconnecting EU institutions from citizens and fostering dissatisfaction. They call for more decentralisation, which they see as key to maintaining public trust in the EU.

Ultimately, they request clarification from the European Commission on its position and urge for regions to remain central to the Cohesion Policy.